Bernardo Zacka

Bernardo Zacka is an Associate Professor (tenured) in MIT's Department of Political Science, holding the Class of 1943 Career Development Chair. His research bridges political theory with ethnographic studies, focusing on public service bureaucracies and state architecture. He holds a PhD from Harvard University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science from MIT.

Zacka’s work examines the moral dimensions of frontline public service interactions and the architectural design of welfare institutions. His award-winning book *When the State Meets the Street* (2017) redefines understandings of bureaucratic morality. He has held fellowships at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin and Stanford’s Center for Ethics in Society.

Teaching includes advanced seminars on government architecture, ethics of machine learning, and justice theory. He serves on the editorial board of *The Journal of Politics* and co-edited *Political Theory and Architecture* (2020). Upcoming roles include a 2024-25 residency at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton.